Blank for a produce tray, produce tray and method of erecting a produce tray

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a blank for a produce tray, a produce tray and a method of erecting a produce tray.

This application claims the benefit of Australian Patent Application No. 2016213769, filed Aug. 10, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a blank for a produce tray, a produce tray and a method of erecting a produce tray.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Produce trays are used for transportation and storage of produce and it is important that they have sufficient strength to support the produce to prevent the tray collapsing or sagging and damaging the produce during transportation or storage, particularly when stacked and as the trays can be used in high humidity environments. Also, it is desirable for produce trays that are convenient to handle and to maintain their integrity when manually handled.

It is also important that produce trays allow for ventilation so that the produce in the tray can be cooled when placed in a refrigerated environment, and also to allow heat generated from the ripening process to escape to prevent undesirable acceleration of the ripening process. This is particularly a problem as produce trays of this type are commonly stacked into columns once full. If ventilation of a produce tray can be improved, cooling requirements can be reduced, potentially saving energy and equipment costs. Although it is desirable to provide improved ventilation, it is commonly accepted that providing ventilation reduces the structural integrity of the tray and therefor there the need to provide adequate ventilation must be balanced against the strength requirements of the tray when designing a produce tray. As such, it is desirable to provide a produce tray which is stronger than previous trays yet provides increased ventilation.

Numerous advances in the field of produce cooling have been made by the present applicant, such as those disclosed in WO2014/085845 also to the present applicant. The present disclosure has been made in view of these advances.

Examples of the invention seek to solve, or at least ameliorate, one or more disadvantages of previous produce trays.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a blank for an open top produce tray, the blank having a base portion that corresponds to a base of the tray when erected and side and end portions which can be folded to form respective side and end walls of the tray, wherein the side walls are formed of two parts foldable relative to each other so as to lie one inside of the other in the erected tray, wherein one of the parts of the side portions is formed with a flap which is foldable from the blank so as to lie in the erected tray between the two parts with a lowermost edge in contact with the base to form a three layered side wall, and wherein the fold of the flap constitutes an upper edge of the side wall along the length of the flap with the upper edge thus formed and being below the parts of the side wall on sides of the flap.

According to a preferred embodiment, the flap is formed by a cut line made in the blank, the cut line defining three sides of the flap and a fold line between opposite sides of the flap. Preferably, once folded, the flap provides a side ventilation opening.

The blank can further include ventilation apertures formed on a crease line between the base and end portions. Preferably, two ventilation apertures are formed, the ventilation apertures being spaced apart at approximately one quarter and three quarters of the length of the end portion. The side portions can be formed with extensions that, when folded, are secured to the end portions. The end portion can be formed with an aperture engagable by a user for lifting the tray. The end portion can be recessed at an upper end thereof to form a ventilation opening.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a produce tray erected from a blank according to any preceding claim.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a produce tray containing bananas, wherein when a series of like trays are stacked, a lowered side edge of the produce tray provides a substantial aperture to allow passage of air into an interior of the stacked trays.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a method of erecting a produce tray, including the steps of:

-   -   providing a blank of the above described type;     -   folding the flap from the blank and folding the two parts of the         side portion to form a three layered side wall;     -   folding end portions of the blank to form end walls; and     -   securing the end walls to the side walls to form the produce         tray.

The method can further include the step of applying an adhesive to the blank prior to folding the side or end portions. The adhesive can be applied to the side portions only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be further described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a produce tray erected from the blank;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the blank showing cut and fold lines;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the blank showing locations which adhesives are applied to the blank; and

FIG. 5 is a chart showing a comparison between the cooling rate of produce in a standard produce tray and produce in a produce tray of an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a blank 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The blank 10 is erectable to form an open top produce tray 12, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The blank 10 has a base portion 14 a that corresponds to a base 14 b of the tray 12 when erected. The blank 10 also has side portions 16 a and end portions 18 a which can be folded to form respective side walls 16 b and end walls 18 b of the tray 12. Each of the side walls 16 b are formed of two parts 20, 22 which are foldable relative to each other so as to lie one inside of the other in the erected tray 12. In this regard, parts 20 and 22 are foldable along crease line 21 extending between them.

One of parts 20, 22 is formed with a flap 24 which is foldable from the blank 10 so as to lie in the erected tray 12 between the two parts 20, 22 with a lowermost edge 26 in contact with the base 14 b to form a three layered side wall. By the lowermost edge 26 contacting the base 14 b of the tray 12, the side walls 16 b of the tray 12 may be strengthened to prevent sagging of the tray 12 when loaded, which can be a particular problem in high humidity environments.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the fold 28 of the flap 24 constitutes an upper edge of the side wall 16 b along the length of the flap 24 with the upper edge thus formed and being below the parts 30 of the side wall 16 b on sides of the flap 24.

The flap 24 is formed by a cut line 32 made in the blank 10. The cut line 32 defines three sides of the flap 24 with a fold line 28 extending between portions of the cut line 32 that form opposite sides of the flap 24. Although flap 24 is formed by having fold line 28 on part 22, it will be appreciated that an alternative configuration may also be possible in which fold line 28 is formed on part 20.

Once folded, the flap 24 provides a side ventilation opening that assists with cooling of produce in the tray 12 and allows heat to escape. By providing flap 24 to strengthen side wall 16 b, good strength properties can be obtained while improving ventilation of the tray 12, thereby potentially reducing the cooling energy required to cool the produce.

The tray also includes ventilation apertures 34 formed on a crease line 36 between the base portion 14 a and the end portions 18 a. By providing apertures on the crease line, they open into the base 14 b and end walls 18 b to allow both horizontal and vertical ventilation. In the illustrated embodiment, two ventilation apertures 34 are formed, with the ventilation apertures 34 being spaced apart at approximately one quarter and three quarters of the length of the end wall 18 b. It will be appreciated that the size and location of the apertures may be varied to achieve the desired cooling performance.

The end portion 18 is formed with an aperture 38 engagable by a user for lifting the formed tray 12. Although shown as being generally triangular, aperture 38 may also be generally rectangular. The end portion 18 a is also recessed at an upper end thereof to form a further ventilation opening. In this regard, recess 40 is formed in an outermost portion of the end portion 18 a so as to form an end wall 18 b which is recessed at an upper portion thereof. Aperture 38 and recess 40 both contribute to providing ventilation of air through the tray 12.

So as to provide structural integrity to the tray 12, the side portions are formed with extensions 42 that, when folded, are secured to the end walls 18 b to maintain the tray 12 in an erected state. The extensions 42 may be secured to the end walls 18 b in a number of methods, such a interlocking tabs for example, however, in a preferred form an adhesive is applied to the blank 10 so as to maintain the tray 12 in its erected state.

In use, the tray 12 is erected by providing a blank 10 of the above described type. Flap 24 is folded from the blank 10 and the two parts 20, 22 are folded to form a three layered side wall. End portions of the blank 10 are folded to form end walls 18 b and the end walls 18 b are secured to the side walls 16 b to form the produce tray 12. To facilitate assembly, FIG. 3 illustrates cut lines 48 and fold lines 50 of the blank 10.

In a preferred form, the method includes the step of applying an adhesive to the blank 10 prior to folding the side portions 16 a or end portions 18 a. Preferably, the adhesive is applied to the side portions only 16 a and FIG. 4 illustrates the locations at which glue is applied. Indicated in straight lines 44 are the locations at which glue is to be applied to an upper surface of the blank 10 and indicated in broken lines 46 are the locations at which glue is to be applied to a lower surface of the blank 10. The straight lines 44 and broken lines 46 are merely illustrated on the same surface for convenience.

It will be appreciated that the method steps may be performed in an alternative order, for example the end walls 18 b may be formed prior to the side walls 16 a.

In use, the tray 12 will be filled with produce, preferably at a packing plant. In one example, the tray 12 is used to pack bananas though it may be used for many other fruits. The lowered side edge 28 of the tray 12 not only provides a substantial aperture to allow passage of air into an interior of the stacked trays, but when packing provides a lowered surface to reduce interference with the hands and wrists of a user, potentially making the tray 12 safer, more convenient and easier to use.

FIG. 5 and Table 1 illustrates the cooling effectiveness of the tray 12 as obtained in an experiment conducted by the Applicant.

TABLE 1 Cooling rate comparison Typical Commercially 15 kg 1 Piece Banana Available 15 kg 1 Piece tray of preferred Duration (hrs) Banana tray embodiment 0 20.32 20.30 0.25 19.50 18.97 0.5 18.02 16.85 0.75 16.53 14.83 1 15.17 13.06 1.25 13.94 11.54 1.5 12.82 10.23 1.75 11.80 9.10 2 10.88 8.12 2.25 10.05 7.28 2.5 9.30 6.55 2.75 8.61 5.93 3 7.99 5.39 3.25 7.43 4.92 3.5 6.92 4.52 3.75 6.46 4.17 4 6.04 3.87 4.25 5.66 3.62 4.5 5.32 3.39 4.75 5.01 3.20 5 4.73 3.04 5.25 4.47 2.89 5.5 4.24 2.77 5.75 4.03 2.66 6 3.84 2.57 6.25 3.67 2.49 6.5 3.51 2.43 6.75 3.37 2.37 7 3.24 2.32 7.25 3.12 2.27 7.5 3.02 2.24 7.75 2.92 2.20 8 2.84 2.18 8.25 2.76 2.15 8.5 2.69 2.13 8.75 2.62 2.11 9 2.56 2.10 9.25 2.51 2.08 9.5 2.46 2.07 9.75 2.42 2.06 10 2.38 2.05 10.25 2.35 2.05 10.5 2.31 2.04 10.75 2.28 2.03 11 2.26 2.03 11.25 2.23 2.03 11.5 2.21 2.02 11.75 2.19 2.02 12 2.17 2.02 12.25 2.16 2.01 12.5 2.14 2.01 12.75 2.13 2.01 13 2.12 2.01 13.25 2.11 2.01 13.5 2.10 2.01 13.75 2.09 2.01 14 2.08 2.01 14.25 2.07 2.00 14.5 2.06 2.00 14.75 2.06 2.00 15 2.05 2.00 15.25 2.05 2.00 15.5 2.04 2.00 15.75 2.04 2.00 16 2.04 2.00 16.25 2.03 2.00

In this experiment, both a typical commercially available 15 kg 1 piece banana tray and a 15 kg banana tray constructed in accordance with the described embodiment were subjected to forced air cooling while monitoring the temperature of objects within the tray. The tray constructed in accordance with the described embodiment had a ventilation area of 19.3% on the long side panel and 11.6% on the short end panel.

The temperature of the items within the trays was monitored during the cooling assessment and data collected to compare the cooling rates of the trays. FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of the data collected to compare the cooling rates of the trays. It can be seen that the tray 12 cooled at a faster rate than the conventional tray, which is believed to be due to improved ventilation of the tray 10 which allows improved ventilation though a stack of like trays 12.

The embodiments have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention disclosed.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

-   10 Blank -   12 Produce tray -   14 a Base portion of blank -   14 b Base of tray -   16 a Side portions of blank -   16 b Side wall of tray -   18 a End portions of blank -   18 b End wall of tray -   20 First or outer part of side portion 16 a -   21 Crease line between first and second parts 20, 22 -   22 Second or inner part of side portion 16 a -   24 Flap -   26 Lowermost edge -   28 Fold -   30 Side parts of side wall 16 b -   32 Cut line of flap 24 -   34 Ventilation apertures -   36 Crease line for end wall 18 b -   38 Handle aperture -   40 Recess -   42 Extension -   44 Glue locations on upper surface -   46 Glue locations on lower surface -   48 Blank cut lines -   50 Blank fold lines 

1. A blank for an open top produce tray, the blank having a base portion that corresponds to a base of the tray when erected and side and end portions which can be folded to form respective side and end walls of the tray, wherein the side walls are formed of two parts foldable relative to each other so as to lie one inside of the other in the erected tray, wherein one of the parts of the side portions is formed with a flap which is foldable from the blank so as to lie in the erected tray between the two parts with a lowermost edge in contact with the base to form a three layered side wall, and wherein the fold of the flap constitutes an upper edge of the side wall along the length of the flap with the upper edge thus formed and being below the parts of the side wall on sides of the flap.
 2. A blank according to claim 1, wherein the flap is formed by a cut line made in the blank, the cut line defining three sides of the flap and a fold line between opposite sides of the flap.
 3. A blank according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, once folded, the flap provides a side ventilation opening.
 4. A blank according to claim 1 any preceding claim, further including ventilation apertures formed on a crease line between the base and end portions.
 5. A blank according to claim 4, wherein two ventilation apertures are formed, the ventilation apertures being spaced apart at approximately one quarter and three quarters of the length of the end portion.
 6. A blank according to claim 1 any preceding claim, wherein the side portions are formed with extensions that, when folded, are secured to the end portions.
 7. A blank according to claim 1 any preceding claim, wherein the end portion is formed with an aperture engagable by a user for lifting the tray.
 8. A blank according to claim 1 any preceding claim, wherein the end portion is recessed at an upper end thereof to form a ventilation opening.
 9. A produce tray erected from a blank according to claim 1 any preceding claim.
 10. A produce tray containing bananas, wherein when a series of like trays are stacked, a lowered side edge of the produce tray provides a substantial aperture to allow passage of air into an interior of the stacked trays.
 11. A method of erecting a produce tray, including the steps of: providing a blank according to claim 1; folding the flap from the blank and folding the two parts of the side portion to form a three layered side wall; folding end portions of the blank to form end walls; and securing the end walls to the side walls to form the produce tray.
 12. A method according to claim 10, further including the step of applying an adhesive to the blank prior to folding the side or end portions
 13. A method according to claim 11, where the adhesive is applied to the side portions only. 